Marlow's Journey in Heart of Darkness

London

Charlie Marlow's journey begins in London, England, where the British ship Nellie is anchored, waiting for the flood to subside. On board the Nellie are five men: the Director of Companies, the Lawyer, the Accountant, an unnamed narrator, and Marlow. As the seamen relax and watch the sun set, Marlow recounts his experience traveling up the Congo River. He begins telling the group his intricate tale.

Characters aboard the ship were all once sailors. In addition:

The Accountant: Loves dominoes. Like the others, gives a contrasting sense of gentility to the crew compared to Marlow's Congo companions.

The Lawyer: Marlows best and oldest friend, a good, virtuous man.

Unnamed Narrator: Taken aback by the romantic ideals in Marlow's story

Director of Companies: Loved by all companions

After sailing in the East for six years, Marlow's recuperation in London drives him to a point of restlessness and desire to travel somewhere new. As he looks at a map of Africa "in a shop-window, it fascinate[s] [him] as a snake would a bird" (11). Because the Congo is a region of the world that the Europeans have yet to discover much about, Marlow yearns to travel there. He applies to a Belgian Ivory trade company that trades in the Congo. He feels anxious yet excited at this point.

With the help of his aunt's influential friends, he secures a position with the Company as captain of a riverboat steamer. Now, he must go to the Company's office in Brussels, Belgium to sign his employment contract. He travels across the English Channel to reach the office.

At this point, Marlow's personal yearning for adventure greatly outweighs anything to deal with colonial practices.

Marlow arrives in Brussels, which "always makes [him] think of a whited sepulchre" (14). Upon entering the Company's office, his anxiety is quickly replaced by an inexplicable, ominous feeling that taking this job is not the best idea. The fact that natives have recently murdered Marlow's predecessor might have something to do with it.

Marlow's eerie feeling about his new job grows as he is about to depart on a French steamer all the way to Africa. The best way he can explain his uneasiness "is by saying that, for a second or two, [he] [feels] as though, instead of going to the centre of the continent, [he is] about to set off for the centre of the earth" (19).

Despite his bad feelings of this journey, he goes anyway, departing on a French steamer.

Brussels

Still recovering, Marlow returns to Brussels where he delivers some important documents that Kurtz entrusted him with. He is approached by both the company and Kurtz's cousin for the documents. Marlow chats with Kurtz's cousin and ponder all of the endeavors Kurtz could have succeeded in.

Marlow makes one last visit to Kurtz's "Intended." She is a faithful, mourning wife. At her home, Marlow fulfills his role as Kurtz's "last disciple" when he lies to her. He tells her that Kurtz's last words were her name.

The escape!

Kurtz tries to leave the steamer during the night, but Marlow pursues after him. Seeing Kurtz's despair, Marlow tries to alleviate the man saying Europe thinks of him as a hero. Even in spite of his wavering notions about Kurtz, Marlow tells Kurtz he would be lost without him. At last, they return to the steamer.

Inner Station

The following day, the steamer departs from the inner station at noon with Kurtz on board. The last image they see is Kurtz's native mistress being engulfed by the pilgrim's gunfire.

Later that day, an ailing Kurtz is brought out on a stretcher to be loaded onto Marlow's boat and return back to Belgium.

This scene is the first glimpse of Kurtz's native mistress. She is dressed in splendor (several elephants worth of ivory) and creates an atmosphere of magnificent mystery. She, like every other native in the book, remains silent.

Still accompanied by the Russian trader at the inner station, which is no more than a makeshift mud shack surrounded by shrunken heads on sticks, Marlow begins to question his own devotion to Kurtz. The Russian's obsession concerns--almost disturbs--Marlow.

The Russian is a young man representing the Dutch company. After the Russian fawns over his glorious leader, Marlow begins to realize just how powerful this Kurtz really is, able to bend those around them to his will.

Following this interlude, Marlow returns to his story. Approaching Kurt'z station and fearing the worst of his current state (death from either illness or native attacks), Marlow encounters a fellow European, a Russian.

While traveling along the coast of Africa, Marlow an anchored French Naval ship bombarding what seems to be a totally empty coast. Marlow notes that "the general sense of vague and oppressive wonder grew upon [him]" (23) at this point.

-This will set the mood for seemingly nonsense brutality that Marlow will witness as he travels

Marlow, who is recounting this tale to his shipmates, makes a brief interlude to discuss Kurtz. He makes note of how Kurtz took everything under his own possession. For example Kurtz saw his fiancee as 'my intended,' the Congo River as 'my river,' his profits as 'my ivory,' and the inner station as 'my station.'

On the long journey back down the Congo River, Marlow, now labeled a part of the "unsound" for still supporting Kurtz, has plenty of alone time with him. Kurtz, having been vouched to be a virtuous, magnificent man, turns out to be a burdened, corrupt being changed from his time in the heart of darkness. Marlow remained loyal to his nightmare of choice to the very end.

Ambush!

Around 8 miles from Kurtz's inner station, a dense fog forces Marlow to bring the ship to an abrupt halt. One of the pilgrims fears an impending attack from hidden natives on the shore. Marlow dismisses the native chants as non-threatening.

The boat is then attacked by the hidden natives, using little more than harmless twigs for arrows. The Helmsman is killed.

Like the fog and voices surrounding the ship, Marlow is confused and unsure of where he is heading, only having word of mouth to guide his progress towards Kurtz.

On the River to Kurtz!

With:

The Manager

The Brickmaker

The White Pilgrims

-Avaricious, want to have Stations of their own, treat the natives savegly, in turn act like savages themselves.

The Black Cannibals

-The "surprisingly" well mannered crew of the steamboat that happen to eat people

For a few days (50 miles)

Going downriver, the steamer breaks down yet again; the delay causes Kurtz to realize he will not make it back to Europe. His death and burial along the river occurs the same time as Marlow's contraction of an illness. The rest of the journey is nothing more than a blur to him.

On the fifteenth day aboard the caravan, Marlow and the rest of the surviving men finally arrive at the Company's Central Station. Marlow learns from the general manager of the station that the steamer he was originally to command has been damaged and nearly sunk. The manager is a hard, greedy man who values power and money above all else.

Central Station

Marlow spends three months repairing the damaged steamboat, wondering if it was purposely beached in an attempt to delay his journey to Kurtz (who is now rumored to be ill) at the Inner Station.

A Company caravan finally arrives to transport Marlow and sixty other men two-hundred miles to the Central Station.

It takes thirty days to reach the Outer Station. Here, Marlow first sees black slaves. The Outer Station is a place of disaster; deteriorated machinery is scattered across a landscape cluttered by dying men and enslaved African workers.

Throughout the ten days Marlow must stay in the Outer Station, the fascinating, well-dressed Accountant tells him rumors of Mr. Kurtz. The Accountant explains how he is "a first-class agent" and a "remarkable person" (29). He explains how Mr. Kurtz sends in more ivory than all the other stations put together.

Outer Station

Marlow's Journey